Midway leaders acquire nearly 38 acres

Friday

Feb 22, 2013 at 5:33 PM

MIDWAY | Midway leaders have decided to purchase land they feel will be enough for the town for years to come.

BY DARRICK IGNASIAKThe Dispatch

MIDWAY | Midway leaders have decided to purchase land they feel will be enough for the town for years to come.The Midway Town Council agreed this week to purchase 37.53 acres at 426 Gumtree Road, property that's owned by Rodney and Donna Thomas. The town agreed to pay $506,235 for the land from its $3.5 million fund balance, said Ryan Ross, Midway town manager.“It has been a smooth process,” Ross said “We worked closely with the Thomases.”Town officials have been renting office space for $4,800 a year at 125 Gumtree Road and utilizing the Midway Volunteer Fire Department for its council meetings. The property comes with a 1,500-square-foot house, eight outbuildings and a tree farm. Ross said the town has plans of moving its office space to the house in about seven months. However, there are no immediate plans for the tree farm, he said.“Obviously, that's land we will use for many years to come,” the town manager said. “It's an older house that is still in very good shape.”The house will serve the town's needs. Its current office space is between 600 and 700 square feet, Ross said.The town manager said council meetings will continue to be held at the Midway Volunteer Fire Department until a new town hall is built on the property. Ross said it would be at least 5 to 10 years until Midway has a newly constructed town hall or greenways or parks on the property.“I don't see us needing any more land than that,” Ross said. “I don't think we are going to outgrow that land. That definitely played a part of getting it.”The town has had a land search committee since 2009. The town considered a number of properties before being approached by the Thomases.“Financially, the town is in good shape,” Ross said. “But we are not going to jump into something immediately.”Midway Councilman Mike McAlpine, the mayor pro tem, has been a member of the land search committee. He said the council has not been in a rush with the getting land. McAlpine said the town council has tried to save its money and do things methodically.“We are a very conservative council,” McAlpine said.McAlpine said citizen input will come first regarding the land.“It's not one of my desires to build a town hall right now,” he said. “My goal is to develop the property, do fact-finding and research the full developmental potential of the greenways and parks on this (land).”

Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.

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